Indiana Jones Toys
Numerous attempts have been made to merchandise the Indiana Jones franchise. Kenner was given the contract back in 1982 after the first film's release. Kenner lost the contract in 1984 after a failure with the Wave 4 figures in the "Raiders" line, as well as the release of toys for Temple of Doom. Due to the more graphic violence in the prequel, the second line of figures did not sell as well. After Kenner dissolved their contract, other attempts were made to merchandise the Indiana Jones character throughout the years, usually by secondary toy companies. Few would catch on. Raiders of the Marlboro County was never merchandised aside from a novelization. Due to licensing agreements Indiana Jones vs. Predator and Indiana Jones Beyond Thunderdome could not be merchandised. Lucas would forget to get the right to license the characters not owned by Lucasfilm. Kenner - Indiana Jones Line (1982-1983) While Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters in July 1981, buyers had to wait till late 1982 to find the first Indiana Jones toys on store shelves. The reason for this delay was that no licensee had been signed before the film was released. Kenner, which produced the super successful Star Wars action figure line was selected by Paramount and Lucasfilm. The packaging of Kenner's Indy figures was modelled in the style of their Star Wars action figure line with the figure offset to the side on a color background and a large picture directly from the movie to catch the consumer's eye. Kenner initially released only four 3.75" carded figures in 1982: Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Toht, and the Cairo Swordsman. These first four figures appeared with a send-away offer for another action figure -- Belloq in Ceremonial Robe -- printed as a blurb on the front and also in more detail on the back of the cards. With this first release also came 2 playsets: the Well of Souls Action Playset and the Map Room Action Playset. Used on a previous toyline, a "quick-draw" feature, was an innovation given to the Indiana Jones figure. Indy could now swing his whip, draw his pistol or deliver his opponent a nasty upper-cut! Later in 1983, Kenner expanded their Raiders of the Lost Ark toy line with four more 3.75" carded figures: Belloq, Sallah, Indiana Jones in German Uniform, and the German Mechanic. A third action playset -- Streets of Cairo Action Playset -- the Arabian Horse, and the Desert Convoy Truck were also released. Belloq in Ceremonial Robe was depicted in line with all other figures shown on the second series card backs but was still offered exclusively as a mail-in premium. Next to the Raiders of the Lost Ark action figures line, Kenner also released one single 12" Indiana Jones figure, based on the same scale as their Star Wars 12" line of figures. The model used was the same for the 12" Han Solo figure from the Star Wars line which was discontinued in 1980 for lack of sales. Basic 3.75" Action Figures Wave One * Indiana Jones * Marion Ravenwood (in Evening Gown) * Toht * Cairo Swordsman * Belloq (In Ceremonial Robe) Wave 1 Playsets * 12' Indiana Jones Action Figure * Well of Souls Playset * Map Room Playset The Map Room playset came with an exclusive Indiana Jones in Disguise figure, raising the actual total of 6 figures in the first wave. Wave Two * Indiana Jones (re-release) * Marion Ravenwood (re-release) * Toht (re-release) * Cairo Swordsman (re-release) * Indiana Jones (in German Uniform) * Sallah * Belloq * German Mechanic * Belloq (in Cermonial Robe) * Arabian Horse Wave 2 Playsets * Streets of Cairo playset * Desert Convoy Truck The Arabian Horse was considered an action figure and released on a overlarge blister card. The Streets of Cairo came with an Exclusive Monkey Man figure and an unarticulated Marion Ravenwood figure to hide in the baskets. Wave Three consisted of three new Indiana Jones figures and several new characters. Critics felt the addition of the Star Wars characters as Egyptian Hieroglyphics was merely a cash grab. The exclusive edition Indiana Jones (Map Room Disguise) was carded and re-released as part of this wave. Also there were no playsets with the third wave. Wave Three * Indiana Jones (Streets of Cairo) * Indiana Jones (Map Room Disguise) * Indiana Jones (College Professor) * Marion Ravenwood (Streets of Cairo) * Dietrich * Marcus Brody * Captain Katanga * Cairo Henchman * C-3P0 (Egyptian Hieroglyphics) * R2-D2 (Egyptian Hieroglyphics) The controversial Wave Four figure line was conceived to bring an edge to the series. Parent Groups quickly began to complain and Kenner was forced to withdraw most of the line. Wave Four * Satipo * Toht (Ark Ceremony) * Belloq (with Exploding Head feature) * German Mechanic (with Propeller Blow-Apart feature) Playsets * Peru Temple playset * Fixed Wing Plane playset The Peru Temple Playset came with a excusive Satipo figure that could be impaled by plastic spikes. Kenner - Indiana Jones Temple of Doom (1984) Despite the failure of wave 4 in the "Raiders" line, Kenner held onto the license to produce figures for the prequel film Temple of Doom in 1984. The controversial nature of the film's PG-13 rating and the criticism of violence resulted in poor sales and Kenner discontinued the line in late summer of '84. The first wave in the Temple of Doom line consisted of five figures and three playsets. Wave One *Indiana Jones * Mola Ram * Willie Scott * Short Round * Thuggee Guard Playsets * Rope Bridge Escape playset * Temple of Doom playset * Slave Mine Escape playset The "Temple of Doom" playset came with a exclusive Chatter Lal action figure bringing the total of figures to six. The second wave in the Temple of Doom consisted of five figures and no playsets. Wave Two * Indiana Jones (Cult Member) * Willie Scott (in Palace Dress) * Village Shaman * Village Chief * Thuggee Assassin The last figure to be released was the Thuggee Assassin and has since become very rare. A second mail-order figure, that of Cpt. Blumburtt, was available during this wave and has become equally rare. LJN - Temple of Doom (1984) When Kenner opted out of their contract, a smaller company known as LJN assumed the toy line. They managed to release only 3 six inch figures before Lucasfilm pulled the plug on the Indiana Jones license. Wave One * Indiana Jones * Mola Ram * Giant Thuggee Due to their incompatibility to the Kenner line, the LJN figures sold poorly and were discontinued by 1985. Horizon - Vinyl Kit (1993) In 1993, Horizon released 2 vinyl kits, highly detailed and with numerous parts. * Indiana Jones vinyl kit * Doctor Henry Jones vinyl kit Micro Machines (1995) In 1995 Galoob released a boxed collection with nine Micro Machines vehicles and one bonus Indy figure from the three adventure films. This box sets was sold in 1995 and contained a total of 10 vehicles and one Indiana Jones figure. The vehicles included in this box are: Raiders of the Lost Ark: * Pontoon Bi-plane * Pan Am Clipper Plane * Flying Wing * German Staff Car Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: * Duesenberg * Ford Trimotor Plane * Mine Car with figures Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: * Wooden Motor Boat * Zeppelin with Bi-plane * German Tank Toys McCoy (1999) In 1999, Toys McCoy released two highly detailed figures from Raiders of the Lost Ark. One was of Indiana Jones and the second was an Arabian Horse. 3,000 copies were produced for the Indiana Jones line and the Arabian Horse was produced at only 1,000 units. The attention to detail, numerous accessories and rarity has made them prized by collectors. *Indiana Jones (Fully Poseable Action Figure) *Arabian Horse (Authentically Scaled Horse) Hasbro - Indiana Jones Line (2008) In 2008, Hasbro released several sets of Indiana Jones Action Figures. Timed to coincide with the theatrical debut of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in May 2008, the company manufactured a diverse line of toy products spanning four of the major motion pictures in the franchise, with a focus on Raiders of the Lost Ark and the new Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film. Hasbro produced four stylistically different figure types ('realistic' 3.75-inch action figures, 12-inch clothed action figures, caricaturized "Adventure Heroes," and ("Mighty Muggs"), as well as other role-playing toys, and games. Basic 3.75" Action Figures Four series, or 'waves', of 3 3/4-inch (1:18 scale) action figures were issued (all part of Assortment #40070), covering characters and elements from Crystal Skull, Raiders, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and finally, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Each blister-packed single character included a little cardboard box, printed to look like a wooden crate, which contained a "hidden relic"; these were plastic replicas of the treasures sought by Indy, along with other artifacts of general historic renowned. This basic assortment retailed for $6.99 (USD) per carded figure. Wave One (Raiders): *Marion Ravenwood (with Staff of Ra Headpiece relic) *Indiana Jones (with Whip-Cracking Action! and Grail Tablet relic) *Indiana Jones (Golden Idol ver., with Chachapoyan Temple Carving relic) *Cairo Swordsman (with Terracotta Warrior relic) *Sallah (with Terracotta Horse relic) *René Belloq (in ceremonial robes, with Fertility Idol relic) *German Soldier (with Sankara Stone relic) *Monkey Man (with Nurhachi's Urn relic) Wave Two (Crystal Skull): *Indiana Jones (Crystal Skull version, with Diamond relic) *Indiana Jones (rocket launcher version, with The Dagger of Atreus relic) *Mutt Williams (in jacket, with Spear of Destiny relic) *Mutt Williams (snake version; with Eye of Horus relic) *Cemetery Warrior (with Funerary Mask relic) *Colonel Dovchenko (with Chalice of Kali relic) *Ugha Warrior (with Ancient Arrowhead relic) *Russian Soldier (with Ankh of Osiris relic) *Irina Spalko (with Crystal Skull of Akator relic) Wave Three (Last Crusade): *Indiana Jones (Last Crusade version, with Thugee sic Medallion relic) *Dr. Henry Jones (with The Holy Grail relic) *Dr. Elsa Schneider (with False Grail relic) *Young Indy (as portrayed by River Phoenix, with Cross of Coronado relic) *Grail Knight (with Sir Richard's Shield relic) *Colonel Vogel (with Axe of Leif Erikson relic) Wave Four (Temple of Doom): *Indiana Jones (Temple of Doom version, with Easter Island Statue relic) *Chief Temple Guard (with Spartan Helmet relic) *Short Round (with Anubis Statue relic) *Willie Scott (with Philosopher's Stone relic) *Temple Guard (with Sun Dial relic) *Mola Ram (with Chinese Lion relic) Deluxe 3 3/4-inch action figures sold for $9.99, action figure vehicles for $19.99, 12" figures for $19.99, Adventure Heroes for $5.99, and urban vinyl-inspired Mighty Muggs for $9.99. Collectors could obtain several exclusive items though a mail-away promotion that ended on January 1, 2009. Hasbro announced that the Indiana Jones line would be put on hiatus after the 2008 Holiday season, until the opportunity for a tie-in to another movie if it occured. However, the canceled fifth wave of action figures have been revived and bundled as a collection and scheduled as an exclusive release for the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011. This included that of Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Arnold Toht, Satipo, Indiana Jones (in his German disguise), and the German Mechanic.First Look At SDCC-Exclusive Indiana Jones Figures! at CoolToyReview.com Gallery Figures.jpg|Habro's 2008 Figure Collection Hasbrotemple.jpg|Hasbro's 2008 Temple of Doom Figure Set Hasbroraiders.jpg|Hasbro's 2008 "Raiders" Figure Set Indy carded.jpg|LJN's Temple of Doom Indiana Jones Molaram carded.jpg|LJN's Temple of Doom Mola Ram Thuggee carded.jpg|LJN's Temple of Doom Giant Thuggee Indy box.jpg|Toys McCoy' Indiana Jones Figure Horse box.jpg|Toys McCoy's Arabian Horse Arabianhorse.jpg|Kenner's 1982 Arabian Horse 4 indy boxed tn.jpg|Kenner's 1982 Indiana Jones 4 marion boxed tn.jpg|Kenner's 1982 Marion Ravenwood 4 swordsman boxed tn.jpg|Kenner's 1982 Cairo Swordsman 7bdcd1e815f6a5f127d1a447f3734877.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Dietrich Movies-custom-action-figures-10.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Captain Katanga M uhVVfezDacKW54S4tlvFA.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Cairo Henchman $ 35.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Indiana Jones (Streets of Cairo) MlRkCZYwHu66-hYWSymn-Cg.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Marion Ravenwood (Streets of Cairo) $ 57.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Ark Spirit Chattar lal.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Loose Exclusive Chatter Lal Willie scott1.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Loose Willie Scott 109c1b5cd3466fdc43ceb4b2156d49001.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Loose Indiana Jones (Cult Member) P1090037.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Loose Village Chief P1090036.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Loose Village Shaman 36 thuggee assassin.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Rare Loose Thuggee Assasin figure Movies-custom-action-figures-3.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Controversial C-3P0 action figure M4Uwtff00b23E-FEB07tKEA.jpg|Kenner's 1983 Controversial R2-D2 action figure 9c206907583c9285a1a1513d60a499a3.jpg|Kenner's 1984 Carded Willie Scott (Palace Dress) figure Notes and references External links *Indiana Jones at CoolToyReview.com